First Eco-Goldex Experience

[GoldTJ]

So, For this 1st batch , I've use
500ml of distilled water, (I now use tap water for this step)
25g of EcoGoldex
Heat and stir at 80oC >30min

Eco goldex never completely dissolve, and Magnetic stirrer couth a lot of Magnetic material. "Iron Dust?"
These 2 seems to be expected , even if ecoGoldex do not really addresses these.
I've filter the solution , This doesn't seem absolutely necessary.
Filter with coffee filter still give cloudy solution
Filter with lab filter still give Cristal clear orange solution

Ive process about 1800g of gold plated pins.
This toke about 2min on the first pins , and about 20-30 min for the last ones.
My pins finished with a nickel color After gold is removed , So there must be another metal before the cooper.
All my pin were cleans , and nothing else was process on this 1st batch

From my personal experience , this was incommoding ,
I got some of the Cyanide poisonings symptoms, even if working outside , with gloves. Mild headache, and mild dizziness. Gold bearing material manipulation force you to be close to the solution

Once liquid is saturated , and items out of it
I've adjust the PH off the solution Sulfuric acid (new battery acid (~30%)) ,
it took 38g to bring ph to about 2, Instruction calls for 1 to 4
Old EcoGoldex call for different PH
This may bubble-out , use big container !
This May cause toxic fume, do in fume hood

I've Ad 2.5g of fine zinc Powder, and mix, to precipitate gold
I've let sit the solution for about 4 days, Stirring from time to time

Fine Filter, keep solid
I've tested the liquid with Stannous Chloride , Test was negative , But I now think it was false Negative
See this tread Stannous test on Eco-Goldex

I've add about 125ml of hydro chloric acid(31%), to dissolve out the Zinc
Fine Filter again, keep solid, and paper filter
If your liquid has silver in it , HCL will cause an insoluble Silver Salt, that will filter out solid, and is fine for me.
Sulfuric acid at this step will not cause this , I've never tried, I don't plan to catch silver

For AquaRegia
I've add about 200ml of hydro chloric acid (31%) ,
and 10ml off DIY Nitric acid (must been about 20% conc. , not Shure)
~60oC and Stir , for 3 h

Everything was dissolved , in a clear yellows liquid, and very low solid content

When processing PCB , ram and other item , I get a brown or green liquid at this step , probably coming from cooper, tin, lead, ext.
And it is way more cloudy

Filter AGAIN , keep liquid
Let cool down ,

Add SMB to drop the gold (Sodium metha Bisulfite) , Got very low fizzing ,
so i was probably in very low excess of Nitric acid

Melting in small crucible , and map gaz , I got 1.75g of gold !







Most of my info came from these 3 videos from omegageek64,
LONG video, but very informative



And The guides provided by EcoGoldex

 

[Shark]

Thanks for the input. I have been curious about this process and have even watched those videos in the past. I think you should be more careful with the cyanide side of these chemicals. Even a crude fume hood would be a big help in getting the fumes away from your face, and lungs.

 

[GoldTJ]

I do have a fume hood ! , but still , you have to open the door to add and remove stuff ! We learn !

 

[FrugalRefiner]

My pins finished with a nickel color After gold is removed , So there must be another metal before the cooper.
All my pin were cleans , and nothing else was process on this 1st batch

That nickel color is nickel. If gold is plated directly onto copper, the two metals migrate into each other over time, even at room temperature. So, nickel is plated onto the copper first, as a barrier to this migration. It's called a strike coat. Thank you GSP for teaching us these things. You will always be in our minds.

From my personal experience , this was incommoding ,
I got some of the Cyanide poisonings symptoms, even if working outside , with gloves. Mild headache, and mild dizziness. Gold bearing material manipulation force you to be close to the solution

I don't know what "incommoding" means. I'm sure it's a translation problem.

You're very lucky. If you were exposed to cyanide, and didn't die, you're very lucky. I wouldn't advise continuing to push your luck with cyanide.

Dave

 

[Shark]

I do have a fume hood ! , but still , you have to open the door to add and remove stuff ! We learn !

That fume hood should have a vacuum system to pull the fumes away from you. We only die once, no second chances.

 

[VK3NHL]

So, For this 1st batch , I've use
500ml of distilled water, (I now use tap water for this step)
25g of EcoGoldex
Heat and stir at 80oC >30min

Eco goldex never completely dissolve, and Magnetic stirrer couth a lot of Magnetic material. "Iron Dust?"
These 2 seems to be expected , even if ecoGoldex do not really addresses these.
I've filter the solution , This doesn't seem absolutely necessary.
Filter with coffee filter still give cloudy solution
Filter with lab filter still give Cristal clear orange solution

Ive process about 1800g of gold plated pins.
This toke about 2min on the first pins , and about 20-30 min for the last ones.
My pins finished with a nickel color After gold is removed , So there must be another metal before the cooper.
All my pin were cleans , and nothing else was process on this 1st batch

From my personal experience , this was incommoding ,
I got some of the Cyanide poisonings symptoms, even if working outside , with gloves. Mild headache, and mild dizziness. Gold bearing material manipulation force you to be close to the solution

Once liquid is saturated , and items out of it
I've adjust the PH off the solution Sulfuric acid (new battery acid (~30%)) ,
it took 38g to bring ph to about 2, Instruction calls for 1 to 4
Old EcoGoldex call for different PH
This may bubble-out , use big container !
This May cause toxic fume, do in fume hood

I've Ad 2.5g of fine zinc Powder, and mix, to precipitate gold
I've let sit the solution for about 4 days, Stirring from time to time

Fine Filter, keep solid
I've tested the liquid with Stannous Chloride , Test was negative , But I now think it was false Negative
See this tread Stannous test on Eco-Goldex

I've add about 125ml of hydro chloric acid(31%), to dissolve out the Zinc
Fine Filter again, keep solid, and paper filter
If your liquid has silver in it , HCL will cause an insoluble Silver Salt, that will filter out solid, and is fine for me.
Sulfuric acid at this step will not cause this , I've never tried, I don't plan to catch silver

For AquaRegia
I've add about 200ml of hydro chloric acid (31%) ,
and 10ml off DIY Nitric acid (must been about 20% conc. , not Shure)
~60oC and Stir , for 3 h

Everything was dissolved , in a clear yellows liquid, and very low solid content

When processing PCB , ram and other item , I get a brown or green liquid at this step , probably coming from cooper, tin, lead, ext.
And it is way more cloudy

Filter AGAIN , keep liquid
Let cool down ,

Add SMB to drop the gold (Sodium metha Bisulfite) , Got very low fizzing ,
so i was probably in very low excess of Nitric acid

Melting in small crucible , and map gaz , I got 1.75g of gold !







Most of my info came from these 3 videos from omegageek64,
LONG video, but very informative



And The guides provided by EcoGoldex

Cyanide/Cyanide Solutions + Any Acid = Death.!
NO Second chance.

 

[kurtak]

I got some of the Cyanide poisonings symptoms, even if working outside , with gloves. Mild headache, and mild dizziness.

Once liquid is saturated , and items out of it
I've adjust the PH off the solution Sulfuric acid (new battery acid (~30%)) ,
it took 38g to bring ph to about 2,

STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING - YOU ARE LUCK TO STILL BE ALIVE !!!!!!!

NEVER ADD ACID - OF ANY KIND TO A CYANIDE SOLUTION !!!!

3 other members have tried to tell you this - I am member number 4

I have worked with both eco-goldex & real cyanide

I can/will help you get your gold back - I just don't have time to help right now & it may be a while before I have time to help (maybe this weekend)

Until then --- STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING !!!

Kurt

 

[GoldTJ]

Yes I've read that alot before .... I understand your reaction

I don't have much time to play with these , so all the steps have been spread on many days. So I'm 100% positive I got so very mild symptom , only on the first step when dissolving gold in eco goldex solution. 2 days before Adding the acid. At this point there may be alot of free cyanide in the solution to eat the gold

This step is supposed to be "safe" seen many video doing it with no protection ,,, Well it is not , and I want to point it.

I got no issue at all from doing the PH adjustment with the acid. All the official docs calls for it , and any recent video call for it too. And it work. I've done it 5 times. ( all in a fume hood with a fan)

The eco goldex has so many ingredients , It may stop releasing more free cyanide from the Potassium Ferriccyanide when going acidic? I don`t know , but I use the fume hood anyway

Any way , I'm done on my scrap pile ... And this was done way before writing this... so I wont do it again, But I would be curious On how would you proceed

 

[Shark]

…. so I wont do it again, But I would be curious On how would you proceed

I would be curious as well. Kurt has a great way of making things easy to understand and I need a better understanding before trying this out.